Aliases: Marvel of the Age, "Machine of righteousness", "the wonder
robot", "Mr. Iron Pants" (nickname used by a soldier from Torpis),
"the blasted Iron-Man" (nickname used by Bruno Varoz)

Base of Operations: Mobile throughout the world;
formerly a television
studio in New York City;
formerly the Twelve's
mansion, New York;
formerly a bunker in
Berlin, Germany;
formerly Electro
headquarters, the Great Midwest;
formerly Zog's
headquarters, Manhattan, New York

First Appearance: Marvel Mystery Comics I#4/6 (February, 1940)

Powers/Abilities: Electro's iron alloy armor
renders him impervious to bullets, explosions, fire and acid. The
pressure-resistant armor can also withstand depths up to 2400 feet. It
was tremendously strong (initially lifting 40 tons) and improvements to
his generator by creator Philo Zog eventually increased his upper limit
to 70 tons. Its feet are equipped with navigation rockets that enable
flight at maximum speeds over 200 miles per hour. The neural relays in
Electro's cybernetic brain were patterned after his creator's so they
actually shared a single mind. Using the telepathic interface of
Electro's Command Console, Professor Zog could control Electro's actions
from thousands of miles away via Electra-Wave technology that
transferred his thoughts directly into the robot's cybernetic brain.
Earlier models were controlled by remote control from much closer by.
The Command Console also houses Electro's various backup systems and
maintenance/control units. Electro's faceplate televisor is equipped
with a cathode ray tube (CRT) that transmits a perfect image of his
operator's face. Shortwave radio technology also transmits the
operator's voice. It is outfitted with a camera that allows the operator
to view the robot's surroundings. Electro's wrists contain two
retractable, foot-long daggers. After 60 years of continuously
transmitting Electra-Wave messages to the brains of the eleven 1940s
heroes he was locked in with, Electro has become uniquely susceptible to
their influence. The android Dynamic Man was able to subtly use his
control over the robot to get Electro to do his bidding. Now considered
property of the U.S. military, Electro's weapons arsenal has been
updated with gattling guns and shoulder mounted rocket launchers. Thanks
to his current operator, the gleefully unhinged Laughing Mask, Electro
is more ruthless and deadly than ever.

Height: 8'2"Weight: 1225 lbs.Eyes: NoneHair: None

History:

(The Twelve I#9 (fb) - BTS) - For over 2 decades, Professor Philo Zog
felt alienated and mocked for his theories on the possibility of robotic
life based on actual human beings. By the time the 1930s came to a
close, the frail and sickly inventor created Electro, a robot whose
operating systems were patterned after his own brain patterns. This
allowed Zog to merge with the machine, a move intended in part to remedy
his own, crushing loneliness. Zog maintained an active, though somewhat
one-sided dialogue with the automaton all through its final stages of
construction, assuring it that as long as they were together neither of
them would ever have to feel lonely again.

(Marvel Mystery Comics I#4/6) -
Figuring he should put Electro to good use, Zog dedicated the robot to
fighting crime and helping mankind. To keep himself apprised of whatever
dangers or injustices might plague the United States, he hired 12
reputable men from a local unemployment agency who he asked to be his
operatives. They were to be Electro's eyes and ears, supplied with
equipment to contact Zog whenever they needed Electro's help to solve a
crime. In his first case, acting on information by secret operative no.
3 Dick Gardner, Electro was instrumental in rescuing the kidnapped child
actress Joyce Lovely.

(Marvel Mystery Comics I#5/6) - Professor Zog assembled his 12
operatives and Electro to inform them the little republic of Molivia had
been attacked and invaded by the armies from Kalph Belgri, dictator of
Torpis. Zog sent Electro operatives 1 and 4 to Molivia's capitol Braka
to offer their aid in stopping Belgri from enslaving the populace. King
Sangor of Molivia was glad to get help and invited the operatives to use
his palace as their base of operations. 1 and 4 quickly contacted Zog
who gave them control over Electro. The wonder robot rapidly flew to
Molivia where, using intelligence provided by operatives 1 and 4, he
halted the advance of the Torpian troops. He beat back the invasion
single-handedly, taking down airplanes, smashing tanks and gun
emplacements as he encountered them. Realizing his scheme had failed and
aware his people would revolt, dictator Belgri committed suicide.
Electro and his operatives returned to the United States.

(Marvels Project#6) - Early in
1940, the ongoing conflict between Namor and the Human Torch (Jim
Hammond) resulted in the Sub-Mariner flooding New York City with a
massive tidal wave. Electro and several other masked vigilantes aided
relief workers, with Electro teaming up with Mister E to save at least
one woman from drowning.

(Marvel Mystery Comics I#6/6 - BTS) - To make sure Electro could respond
to any crisis equally, Professor Zog moved his operation to a specially
constructed headquarters somewhere in the great Midwest, where the
distance to either coast was equal. Several planes were stationed on the
roof to respond so Electro could be sent out at a moment's notice.

(Marvel Mystery Comics I#6/6) - After receiving numerous messages from
citizens considered by a nationwide ring of racketeers, Zog decided to
commit Electro to solving the case. Sending his operatives around the
country to find the ringleader, it was operative No. 7, Bill Dunn, who
determined that the leader was a man known only as the Voice, based on
a small island off the coast of San Francisco. Dunn called in Electro
who eventually tracked down the Voice. He then proceeded to fly to
cities like Chicago and Philadelphia to capture the Voice's accomplices,
even grabbing a few in mid-air who tried to escape by plane. The
president of the United States was so pleased with Electro's
achievements, he sent Professor Zog a congratulatory telegram on behalf
of the entire nation.

(Marvel Mystery Comics
I#7/6) - Professor Zog sent two of his operatives and Electro to help
out the hundreds of victims from a recent, massive flooding in the
greater Ohio. To make sure Electro didn't forget to rescue anyone, the
two men guided his actions, actively looking for possible survivors. For
days on end, they searched town after town, with Electro tirelessly
bringing flood victims to safety. At the same time, influential
crimeboss Sarpo decided to take advantage of the floodings to rob
several banks in the affected areas. His men were able to steal a
considerable amount of gold before Electro's operatives spotted them and
sent the robot in to intervene. Sarpo attempted to get away with the
stolen gold aboard a speedboat, with Electro in hot pursuit. The
crimeboss tried to throw the robot off his scent by guiding him to a
circus where he had a crooked zookeeper friend of his attack Electro
with a pair of crazed elephants. Electro defeated the animals with ease
and captured Sarpo. Once he was behind bars, the gangster capo decided
he was going to have his revenge by sending his men to kill Electro's
creator Zog and take the machine for himself to become supreme ruler of
the underworld in all America.

(Marvel Mystery Comics I#8/6) - Acting on orders from Boss
Sarpo, his lieutenant "Scarface" Joe and some henchmen broke into
Electro Headquarters, defeating Zog and his men and taking the professor
and his control console with them. They forced him to use it to get
Electro to free Sarpo who then sent the robot on a reign of terror,
robbing banks and jewelry stores for tens of thousands of dollars. Sarpo
even had Electro kidnap district attorney Haden, responsible for putting
him behind bars, just so he could return the favor. In the end, the
authorities gathered a force consisting of 500 militia men with
war-tanks to stop Electro's rampage, but even they were unable to
stop the robot from successfully robbing Largrave's Jewelry Shop.

(Marvel Mystery Comics I#8/6 - BTS) - Electro's exploits were monitored
by Jago, ruler of the aliens known as the Dragon Men of Ligra. Figuring
the automaton had the "power of seventy devils", he decided to take its
power for his own. He gathered a force of Dragon Men troops and ordered
them to Earth to bring back Electro and his creator.

(Marvel Mystery Comics I#8/6) - Sarpo and his men were attacked by the
Dragon Men of Ligra who overpowered Electro and forced Zog to accompany
them back to their homeworld along with his robot.

(Marvel Mystery Comics I#9/5) - Brought
before the Dragon Men's leader Jago, Philo Zog initially refused to aid
him in using Electro to overthrow the planet's ruler Queen Nara of the
Lion Men. However, after sufficient torture, Zog gave in and sent
Electro along with the Dragon Men armies to invade the capitol and
capture the queen whose jewels Jago was after. When she refused to tell
him where they were, Jago decided to feed her to his giant octopus pet
in the hopes it would change her mind. Luckily, Zog was able to distract
his guards long enough for him to lock the door behind them so he could
control Electro unopposed. The mighty robot made short work of the
Dragon Men military and then rushed to save Queen Nara from the octopus
monster. Utilizing the giant blades in his hands, Electro killed the
creature. With his men defeated, Jago gave up his claims to the throne.
A grateful Nara made Zog an honorary knight of Ligra before returning to
Earth with Electro.

(Marvel Mystery Comics I#10/4) - Electro responded to the threat of the
mad scientist Bruno Varoz who had come up with artificial blood that
turned corpses into his unwilling slaves. Varoz sent these armies of the
undead to loot and plunder New York and Los Angeles. Zog had Electro
follow the zombies back to Varoz's Cuban base where the evil genius
succeeded in trapping the robot in an acid pit. Luckily, the quick
thinking Zog improved Electro's remote generator so the robot's strength
was almost doubled. Now easily breaking free from the pit, Electro
attacked Varoz's men and made sure the evil one himself died in his own
acid pit. To make sure no one else would learn the secrets of the
artificial blood, Zog pinpointed Varoz's lab so army bombers could lay
waste to it.

(Marvel Mystery Comics I#11/8) -
Electro rushed to Midvale to help stop a massive forest fire set by
Baldwin Drake, president of Drake Lumber Mills who was furious when he
lost a lucrative government contract to his rival, the Borden Lumber
Corps. Having just updated Electro's control console so he could see
through the robot's camera eyes himself, Zog accompanied Electro to
Midvale where he met with John Borden. Rushing to ranger Jim Brent's
station on Mount Rugged, Zog set up the command console and went to work
as Electro. However, as soon as Drake spotted Electro putting out the
fires using a special dousing chemical, he reasoned that the robot must
be controlled from the nearby ranger station. He sent his men to take
the post, kidnapping Zog and effectively rendering Electro inoperable.
Luckily, ranger Brent succeeded in activating Electro with the command
console, saving Zog and putting out most of the fires. As soon as Zog
returned to the ranger station, he took over again and focused the machine's
attentions to bringing Baldwin Drake to justice.

(Marvel Mystery Comics I#12/6) - President Franklin Delano Roosevelt
requested Philo Zog and Electro's help in dealing with the Shark and his
Deep Sea Raiders, a band of submarine pirates who looted ships and
demanded tribute from the United States government. If the US refused to
pay, every ship would be blasted off the ocean. Zog and Electro were
aboard the US Naval Destroyer that was supposed to deliver the money
demanded by the Shark. But as soon as his submarine's periscope was
spotted, Zog directed Electro into attacking the vessel. The sub took
off, heading back for its underwater base where the Shark was hiding.
Electro followed them there and Zog made sure the robot made short work
of the pirates. In the end, after escaping the Shark's atom-smashing
ray, Electro destroyed the base's air-pumps forcing the pirates to flee.
Before they could, Electro wrecked the base's airlock allowing the sea
to come crashing in, killing the Shark and his men. Electro, none the
worse for wear, returned to Zog who by that time was getting a medal
from president Roosevelt in recognition of his services as a benefactor
of mankind.

(Marvel Mystery Comics I#13/5) - Professor Zog and Electro accompanied
genius inventor Simon Crane and his daughter Betty for an exploratory
trip to the dark side of the Moon. Figuring Electro would be the best
astronaut imaginable, Crane asked Zog to pilot the robot in an
investigation of the Moon's uncharted areas. Electro soon came upon a
derelict castle where he was besieged by alien Moon-Robots who
overpowered the automaton even though Zog increased his power output to
the max. Electro was brought before the alien Gnorr who announced to Zog
(appearing on the robot's faceplate) he intended to take possession of
Electro to study its superior technology. Even though Zog ordered
Electro to attack, Gnorr cleverly trapped him underneath a power
dampening dome. Now cut off from Electro, Zog decided to lead Simon and
Betty Crane to rescue his creation. Using bombs to defeat the Moon-Bots,
Zog kept himself and his allies safe from Gnorr's flame-guns with a
specially designed Zello-Shield. Hiding behind this protective sheath
until he could get enough bombs in place to destroy Gnorr's palace, Zog
was relieved to see Electro was unharmed.

(Marvel Mystery Comics I#14/7) -
Electro and Professor Zog traveled by plane to the Fairbanks Iron Works,
a factory mysteriously sinking into the Earth killing hundreds. Electro
was sent in to discover the cause: the king of the subterranean
cyclopean race called the Onees planned to pull all the iron on the
planet to his realm. This would make the Earth lopsided, turning it away
from the Sun. As a result, the surface world would be covered in total
darkness, which would make it easy for his armies to conquer the entire
globe. Zog directed Electro to attack, but the Onees ruler overcame the
automaton and forced Zog to come down there or he would crush his
creation. Zog complied, arriving in the subterranean realm two days
later on board an experimental tunneling craft. Equipped with a portable
version of Electro's control console, Zog soon figured out the Onees
were so sensitive to light a mere flashlight caused them to flee in
terror. Only their king seemed impervious to the light, but thanks to
the mobile control unit Zog directed Electro to his defense. After a
ferocious battle that almost saw Electro burning up in the same furnace
that killed the king, Zog managed to return to the surface with the
robot intact. Later that day, while relaxing in the nearby Fairbanks
hotel, Zog received a telephone call from the mayor of Titan City,
urgently requesting the help of Electro because the city was being
threatened by "the horrible Green Terror". Zog promised the apprehensive
man he'd be there as soon as he could.

(Marvel Mystery Comics I#15/7) - By the time the professor
and Electro reached Titan City by plane, the Green Terror threat became
obvious. Created by evil scientist Dr. Loroff, the Green Terror was
hidden inside a massive giant ball that smashed a skyscraper. A little
while later, the ball opened unleashing a gigantic, corroding and
consuming emerald slime that Loroff had created to be his Green Terror.
Using his scientific acumen, Zog deduced the organism would be
vulnerable to radiation. Recovering some radium and converting the
element to weaponize it, Zog had Electro fatally irradiate the
organism. The professor then directed Electro to Loroff's base where
the mad one had a pair of gigantic, mutated crabs ready for a final
assault. Destroying the creatures, Electro turned to Loroff who tossed
an explosive as a last ditch attempt at victory. The bomb went off,
destroying Loroff and his lab but the Wonder-Robot escaped unscathed.
Though he should be relieved, Philo Zog couldn't help but have a strange
premonition some great danger was rapidly approaching.

(Marvel Mystery Comics I#16/4) - Unaware of any danger,
Philo Zog was watching television when the broadcast was suddenly taken
over by the mind-controlling Prince Omei who ordered Zog to bring
Electro to him. The professor complied, taking his creation to Omei who
planned to use him for his criminal purposes. Mind-controlled, Zog was
happy to pilot Electro into committing any number of crimes Omei ordered
him to. After a convoluted fight, involving the police and a splinter
cell in Omei's own band, Zog was freed from Omei's control. The prince
decided to throw a potent explosive, destroying his base and burying
everyone in the rubble. However, even though Zog didn't control him,
Electro was on hand to save his inventor (see
comments).

(Marvel Mystery Comics I#17/2) - Mor the Mighty, mad prince of black
magic, planned to use his abilities to become emperor of the universe.
He first transformed his tiny black kitten into a mighty monster and
then summoned his operatives, chief among them the half-human slave
Zabu. They were ordered to travel the country and spread explosive
powder on government buildings, railway terminals and skyscrapers at
night. As soon as the sun's rays would hit the powder, the resulting
detonation would be terrific. The next morning, after the first series
of explosions, Zog and Electro were brought in to deal with Mor and his
minions. Electro first defeated the giant black cat. Then, Mor attacked
Zog who was aboard his plane with two enlarged vultures that caused
Zog's plane to crash. Zog's connection to Electro was temporarily lost,
leading people to believe the professor had died. Mor used the
opportunity to increase his attacks. However, the professor was still
alive because he was lucky enough to fall under the asbestos tarpaulin
of his craft when it crashed and burned. Using Electro's still operative
mobile control console, he directed the robot against Zabu. Next, he
told Electro to strangle the giant vultures and wreck the propellers of
Mor's plane. The craft crashed, killing the mystic.

(Marvel Mystery Comics I#18/5) - When the warlike Antons'
homeworld of Torsa lost its orbit and was sent hurtling through the
cosmos, it eventually passed by Earth. Attracted by the planet's
gravitational pull, Torsa moved ever closer to Earth which caused
massive meteorological upheavals. To make matters worse, the Antons
planned to conquer Earth and turn it into a replica of Torsa. Philo Zog
and his ally Doctor Horace Forde planned to oppose the aliens, which was
a difficult task because the Antons succeeded in turning Electro against
them. In the end, Zog and Forde themselves opposed the Anton's ruling
body, reclaiming control of Electro and sending the entire planet of
Torsa away by using a magno-generator. When Torsa was at a safe distance
from Earth, Zog and Forde blew up the entire world with explosives
they'd hidden throughout the alien orb.

(Marvel Mystery Comics I#19/6) - Zog took Electro across
the Atlantic to respond to a letter sent by his old friend Sir John
Chadwick, requesting Zog's help in fighting off a mysterious ghost
haunting his castle. Joined by his daughter Ellen, Chadwick told Zog all
about the ghost who had already killed several people including his
sister and their servant Jeffrey.

(Marvel Mystery Comics I#19/6 - BTS) - The ghost was actually Chandi,
the Ethiopian servant of Basil Drake, owner of a nearby estate who was
furious when Chadwick refused him to marry Ellen. Swearing revenge,
Drake used a special chemical on Chandi that rendered him invisible,
thus allowing him to murder unopposed.

(Marvel Mystery Comics I#19/6) - Zog stayed at Chadwick Manor, where at
the stroke of midnight the professor and Electro stood ready to face the
mysterious ghost killer. When the ghost appeared, Electro proved
powerless against it, but Zog fired several bullets that somehow caused
the apparition (Chandi) to bleed as it fled away. The trail led to the
estate of Basil Drake, who stood ready to have Electro face his personal
guard of mutated, superstrong gorillas. When Electro easily defeated the
creatures, Drake got so nervous he committed suicide. A little while
later, Electro and Zog faced the crazed, giant manservant Chandi who
Zog was forced to shoot as well when he refused to listen to reason.
After his death, Zog discovered the invisibility agent on his corpse,
thereby solving the mystery of the ghost of Chadwick Manor.

(Marvel Mystery Comics 70th Anniversary Special#1 - BTS)
- In the Spring of 1941, Philo Zog was kidnapped by Dr. Manyac and the
Nazi Gaufman who forced him to use his brilliant mind to help improve
Manyac's Green Flames robots. The madman hoped to have his automatons
generate both fire and ice. Zog was also forced to work on Project:
Blockbuster, a plan for air-mines
that Zog had been developing. Initially
resisting, Zog was eventually forced to cooperate when the villains put
his mobile control unit in their vault, preventing him from summoning
Electro.

(Marvel Mystery Comics 70th Anniversary Special#1) -
Philo Zog's disappearance was investigated by reporter Betty Dean and
the Ferret, eventually bringing in the Angel (Thomas Halloway),
Sub-Mariner, the Human Torch and Toro into the case as well after the
Green Flames initially attacked the New York based heroes. Zog was found
in Manyac's base on Coney Island, where the heroes had a tough time
fighting the improved Green Flame army. It wasn't until Toro freed Zog
and melted the locks on the vault containing Electro's control unit that
the tide turned. With Zog in control of Electro, the Green Flames were
easily dealt with, as well as a giant Green Flame robot which
ended up getting lobotomized by the Sub-Mariner. In the aftermath, Zog
promised to share all the information he'd overheard about Manyac,
Gaufman and the local spy rings loyal to them with Betty Dean and the
Ferret.

(The Twelve: Spearhead#1 - BTS) - When the United States
entered World War II in late December, 1941, Professor Zog and Electro
joined the war effort as well. By 1944, with the invasion of Western
Europe well underway, Zog used Electro's might to aid Allied army units
wherever he could. The robot gained quite a reputation, repeatedly
receiving glowing write-ups of his exploits.

(The Twelve: Spearhead#1) - In the Spring of 1945, Philo Zog and
Electro were working with Sergeant Fury and his Howling Commandos,
ambushing tank divisions and casually slaughtering the Nazis when they
refused to surrender in time. During one such instance, the Commandos
and Electro saved a contingent of allied army men, including the Phantom
Reporter, from a Nazi attack force. The lieutenant in charge thanked Zog
for his help and wondered where he could get 20 more Electros, but the
professor went into great detail explaining that Electro was still an
experimental model he simply couldn't allow for mass production until
the long-term effects of electro-stimulation of the cerebral cortex had
been determined. Phantom Reporter couldn't help but be unnerved by the
fact this two-legged tank was calmly scientific theories after having
just ripped apart German soldiers left and right. "Killing by remote
control, creepy", was his final thought on the matter.

(The Twelve: Spearhead#1 - BTS) - Despite its uncanny origins, Electro
proved to be popular among the troops. The Howling Commandos even
considered him a mascot of sorts, gladly posing for a picture with the
robot while the inspirational phrase "BERLIN OR BUST!" was painted on
its frame.

(The Twelve: Spearhead#1) - A few days later, Excello helped secure a
hidden Waffen SS facility that doubled as a rocket science lab and a
depository for occult artifacts like the Lance
of St. Maurice.

(The Twelve I#1) - On Wednesday April 25th, 1945, the Allies began their
final assault on Berlin. Electro and eleven other vigilantes eventually
found themselves teaming up to investigate the largely abandoned
headquarters of the SS for possible snipers or other opposition. The
search led them to an underground lab facility which actually turned out
to be a trap. Once they were all inside, the doors closed. Electro
immediately lost his connection to Philo Zog because of the bunker's
insulated shielding. While the others tried to escape, only to be overcome
by knockout gas, Electro simply stood there, vaguely aware of the SS
officers hurrying to put the others inside freezing tubes. They planned to
study and dissect these "supermen" after the war so they could turn the
next generation of Nazis into a true master race. As for Electro, with no
immediate use for them, the SS scientists planned to disassemble him as
soon as they'd ship off the others.

(The Twelve I#1 - BTS) - The SS officers hadn't counted on the Russian
army reaching strategic parts of Berlin before the allied forces. The
Russians captured and executed the SS officers responsible for keeping
Electro and the other heroes on ice.

(The Twelve I#5 (fb) - BTS) - When Electro was lost in Berlin, the shock
of losing contact with the robot patterned after his own mind was too much
for Zog. The mental separation proved too big a strain for the professor
whose brain essentially died of loneliness.

(The Twelve I#12 (fb) - BTS) - Desperate and alone without Philo Zog's
mind to guide him, Electro's rudimentary cybernetic brain began to reach
out to anyone close to him. This resulted in all the heroes getting
continuously bombarded with the robot's cybernetic thought waves. His
unrelenting attempts to reach out eventually formed a bond with the
Dynamic Man. The android's far more advanced brain took control over
Electro, essentially turning him into his servant. Over time, the
supremely arrogant Dynamic Man assured the lost and lonely robot they were
now together and that they were perfect. However, the continued exposure
left the robot particularly susceptible to the other prisoners' brainwaves
as well.

(The Twelve I#1 - BTS) - In recent years a German
construction crew accidentally unearthed the underground facility where
the heroes were being kept. The American authorities were informed and
quickly took charge of the situation, bringing everyone back to the United
States where they were revived and led to believe it was still the 1940s
in an attempt to gently accommodate them to having been asleep for the
past 60 years. After doing some research into Electro's origins, the US
Military determined that with Philo Zog long dead, Electro essentially
belonged to them. They had the robot boxed up and shipped to the States.

(The Twelve I#2) - After the other eleven 1940s heroes took the US
government up on its offer to stay at an army sponsored mansion in Upstate
New York until they were acclimated to the new world, Electro was
delivered to them. Dynamic Man helped movers get the inert robot from the
truck to a storage area of the estate.

(The Twelve I#3 - BTS) - Electro remained in the storage shed for several
days, while Dynamic Man continued to establish himself as the era's newest
and greatest hero.

(The Twelve I#3) - Electro was visited one night by the Laughing Mask
(Dennis Burton). Holding a bottle of whisky in one hand, his mask in the
other, the thoroughly inebriated Burton began to rant about how determined
he was to show everyone he was a real hero and that he did have what it
takes (back during the war, non-powered
vigilantes like the Mask were often mocked as "tourists"). He
briefly thought back to the time he executed three hostage takers, talking
to his mask as if it was a separate person. He found his resolve, put on
the mask and went out on patrol in New York City.

(The Twelve I#4) - Acting
strangely belligerent, Dynamic Man attended Master Mind Excello's going
away party and picked a fight with Phantom Reporter and the others who
he considered whining moaners who were doing nothing while he was out
doing what they were meant to do: save lives and serve their country. To add insult to injury, Dynamic Man
sarcastically carried in Electro, to remind the others they were just
like the robot: a forgotten relic nobody knew what to do with anymore.
However, seeing Electro sparked an idea within the Blue
Blade, showman turned costumed vigilante to jumpstart his Hollywood
career. He seriously began to consider using the inert automaton as his
partner in a "beauty and the beast" style of duo.

(The Twelve I#5 - BTS) - News of Electro's continued survival reached
Philo Zog's daughter Elizabeth Zogolowski. She had continued on as head of
Zog Industries and figured that the patent on Electro her father had
applied for back in 1940 was still relevant. She sought out a meeting with
Colonel Dexter, liaison to the Twelve, to discuss her claims. Even
presented with the evidence, Dexter wasn't willing to hand over Electro to
her which frustrated Zogolowski to no end (see
comments). He even explained why the military was so interested
in Electro: while Zog's initial patent granted him ownership of the robot
itself, the military was far more interested in the telepathic interface
the professor used to control Electro... Which wasn't covered by the
patent. Zogolowski coldly stated that particular technology was also owned
by her family: if the military wanted it, they'd have to license it though
she warned Dexter about its inherent dangers, recounting how losing touch
with Electro killed her father Philo. Zogolowski left, threatening to sue
Dexter and the government over control of Electro.

(The Twelve I#6 - BTS) - Thoroughly disgusted by the impure and decadent
behavior of the patrons of gay bar The Rail And Balls, the deranged
Dynamic Man used his control over Electro to send the robot to the bar to
kill everyone there. After the bloodbath, Electro returned home.

(The Twelve I#7 - BTS) - Elizabeth Zogolowski was able to secure temporary
custody of Electro through the courts, though the US Military planned to
fight that decision.

(The Twelve I#7) - Zogolowski was overseeing four movers who were having
terrible difficulties loading Electro and his equipment into a moving van.
They were interrupted by the Blue Blade, who was still determined to get
Electro on his new TV show to boost ratings. The smooth-talking vigilante
convinced Elizabeth to let him use the robot on the show, after all she
would need the money to fight her legal battle with the government.

(The Twelve I#8) - Electro and all of his control equipment were moved to
the New York City studio where Blue Blade's variety show was recorded. The
not too scholarly Blade tried to figure out the robot's controls with some
help from Zogolowski. Putting on the headset, the Blade's mind briefly
merged with Electro. He clumsily attempted to master the automaton's many
powers, including strength and flight. When he returned to his own mind,
the overconfident Blade threw several switches that activated the memory
backups for his physical activities since he was turned on. As a result,
the Blade was bombarded by Electro's experiences, including the Dynamic
Man taking control of him and forcing the robot to kill everyone inside
The Rail And Balls in cold blood.

(The Twelve I#8 - BTS) - Keeping this to himself, the Blade took off
Electro's control helmet and went forth to blackmail Dynamic Man into
doing his show or else he would reveal what he knew.

(The Twelve I#9) - Electro remained in
the Blue Blade's studio, parked right next to the
vigilante-turned-celebrity who was staying late to memorize his lines for
next day's taping. Several miles away, while he was on live TV taking part
in a charity event, Dynamic Man forced Electro to spring to life and kill
the Blue Blade before he could reveal their secret. Though the Blade did
his best to fight back, Electro eventually grabbed him only to throw the
non-powered hero out the window so he would fall to his death.

(The Twelve I#9 - BTS) - Security camera footage of the studio at the time
of the incident quite clearly proved Electro was responsible for killing
Blue Blade. However, the Phantom Reporter almost accidentally learned the
truth during his investigation when he himself donned Electro's control
helmet and played back the automaton's most recent activities. Now aware
Electro was being controlled by Dynamic Man, the Reporter vowed to reveal
the truth.

(The Twelve I#10) - Electro was brought into the mansion to gather with
the other 1940s heroes when the Phantom Reporter slowly revealed the true
culprit behind the death of Blue Blade. He stunned the others with the
fact it was actually the android mind of the Dynamic Man who was behind
this violent act. When Dynamic Man's true nature as a sexless android was
revealed, the alleged "perfect man for the future" grew so enraged he
first slammed Electro through a wall and then vowed to kill the others.

(The Twelve I#12 - BTS) -
After the other heroes took down Dynamic Man, the US government reached a
deal with Elizabeth Zogolowski. She had found that because of Electro's
prolonged attempts to telepathically connect to Dynamic Man and the other 1940s
heroes, it would only respond favorably to any one of their brainwaves. As
a result, Zogolowski reached a licensing agreement with the government
that allowed them to use Electro. After they upgraded his weapon systems
and had changed the message on his chest from Berlin to the more
provocative "Tehran Or Bust", they managed to get the Laughing Mask to
become Electro's new operator.

(The Twelve I#12) - Electro was last seen in the Middle-East, piloted by
the Laughing Mask, doling out justice, rockets and death to America's
enemies.

Comments: Created by Steve Dahlman (writer, pencils
& inks).

The Twelve were found in Germany on Wednesday August 2nd, 2008. This was during the rise of the Initiative in comics. The date is topical.

Electro's creator Steve Dahlman was a man ahead of his
time, actively serializing the robot's tales by adding
cliffhangers and teasing upcoming adventures. Pretty much unheard of
during the early 1940s and a welcome reminder that Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
didn't pull the notion of a shared, cohesive universe out of thin air back
in the 60s.

With 16 Golden Age appearances under his belt, Electro is by far the most
storied member of the Twelve. It's ironic to say the least that he would
actually prove to be the one without any noticeable personality of its
own, only coming to life and acting when guided by someone else's
motivations. If ever there was a parable for fictional characters...

In Marvel Mytery Comics I#16, Zog was saved by Electro without
him actively controlling the robot. Perhaps the continued linking of their
minds (actually, they were of the same mind) resulted in Zog being able to
subconsciously guide Electro to rescue him. This would be in line with
what JMS established about the connection between Electro and Dynamic Man:
prolonged exposure to the automaton's cybernetic Electra-Waves results in
an inexplicable and undeniable bond.

It's a little difficult to swallow that Professor Zog, already in his 60s
when World War II broke out and so lonely he had to create a robotic
"child", was actually a parent. Let's say he did father Elizabeth
Zogolowski, it's hard to sell the idea that a man who died in 1945 left
his company to a daughter that had to have been the tiniest of infants in
order to still appear youthful and vital enough in 2008 to claim ownership
of Electro. And sure, she did have those streaks of white hair, but
otherwise there wasn't a wrinkle on her.

The Marvel Mystery Handbook 70th Anniversary Special#1 (2009) under Dragon Men claimed the King of the Dragon Men used a powerful telescope to observe Electro active during 1937. Plus I find it hard to believe that the U.S. Military needed to study Electro since J. Jonah Jameson through his wife Dr. Marla Madison would have made millions if not billions selling the same mentally controlled robot technology Colonel Dexter claimed he wanted for the U.S. Military (see her Spider Slayer Mark 5).--Gammatotem
The former is clearly an error because Electro wasn't even built in 1937. Regarding the latter! There were decades between Electro and Madison's Spider-Slayer. A few advancements were made in technology between World War II and the modern era.--Markus Raymond

Electro received profiles in the Official Handbook of the
Marvel Universe A-Z HC#14 and Marvel Mystery Handbook 70th Anniversary
Special#1.